Thursday, March 27, 2008

Frisée (free-ZAY) aux lardons is a classic French bistro salad with spicy chicory lettuce, bacon pieces, croutons or toasty bread, and often a poached egg. The vinaigrette and the runny yolk from the poached egg blend to create a creamy sauce over this delicious and filling salad.

FriséeFrisée is a cousin of radicchio, Treviso, green endive, and escarole and is often part of a mesclun salad mix. But, to confuse the issue, it is called different things depending on where you live.

British : ChicoryUS : Beligan endiveFrench : Witloof

British : Curly endiveUS : Curly endiveFrench : Chicorée frisée

In Canada, it was labeled “Chicory lettuce” at the grocery store so maybe that’s our British roots showing through yet again.

It has a slightly peppery, nutty, and bitter taste. As for looks, it is frizzy, curly, and feathery. It ranges in color from yellow or light green to dark green. Try to find the lighter colored frisée since it is less bitter than the darker green. (I, however, didn’t know this tidbit when I was at the grocery store.)

To prepare, tear the frisée with your hand. Wash it just before serving. You can refrigerate frisée in a plastic bag for up to 5 days.

LardonsLardons are strips of bacon or pork that are blanched and fried until they are crispy. They add a crunchy texture and a salty, smoky flavor to the salad.

Poached EggsFor the poached egg part of this dish, use the freshest eggs possible to get the nicest shape during poaching. As it turns out, I’ve never poached an egg in simmering water before. I’ve always used some sort of gadget. Well, never again since it was so easy.

The water needs to be right below a boil. Adding a small amount of vinegar to the water prevents the whites of the egg from dispersing into the water enabling the egg to remain round.

You can even make poached eggs 2 days ahead and rewarm them in simmering water for about 30 seconds.

There’s a great website dedicated to the poached egg! And here’s a great video on how to poach an egg.

VinaigretteA vinaigrette is 3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar. Flavorings such as mustard, salt, and pepper are sometimes used. Always whisk the vinegar and flavorings first, and then whisk in the oil.

Watch a proI found this humorous video of Martha Stewart teaching Martin Short how to make Frisée aux lardons.

In a skillet, sauté the bacon until crispy. Remove the bacon and set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk the sherry vinegar, salt, and pepper. Add the oil and whisk to blend. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Bring a pot of water to almost a boil. Add the white vinegar. Carefully drop in the egg. Let cook for 3 minutes. With a slotted spoon, remove the egg and

While the egg is poaching, toast the bread.

Toss the chicory with the vinaigrette. Add the bacon. Put the poached egg on top and serve with the toasted bread.

Tasting NotesI was pleasantly surprised at how delicious this salad was. I was expecting a more bitter taste, but the creaminess of the egg yolk blended with the flavor from the sherry vinaigrette masked the bitterness in the chicory. The bacon added a nice crunch and saltiness to the salad too. It’s a quick and easy lunch.

Next time I would buy some delicious bread to use on the side. I used what I had on hand, which is more kid-friendly than gourmet-friendly. I’ve also seen recipes with shallots sautéed with the bacon, and that would be tasty too. Also, I didn’t have sherry vinegar on hand, so it would be good to try that. As with any vinegar, you can get luxury versions aged in oak for years. But given I only needed ¾ of a teaspoon, I used what I had on hand! Garlic, pancetta, and Gruyère cheese are other variations to enhance this salad.

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

This is the last class for a long time (class 24, actually) that will have any dessert in it. It’s back to cooking basics, such as salads and sauces which is up next. Oh well. Tuesdays with Dorie will feed my baking hunger.

This class covered several frozen treats. Here’s what my plan would look like if I were to make these in one go:

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Well, as of last week, I’ve joined the esteemed-blogging-baking ranks of Tuesdays with Dorie, which is a weekly baking and blogging community working through Dorie Greenspan’s cookbook called Baking: From My Home to Yours. I lucked out this week by getting to make one of my favorite desserts: crème caramel (or Caramel-Topped Flan as it’s called in this cookbook). I’m looking forward to playing hooky on a regular basis from the “cooking school” angle I’ve set up for myself.

Crème caramel: custard and caramelAs I learned earlier in this blog about crème caramel, this recipe covers two difficult things in baking: custard and caramel. But, I’m willing to practice both skills in order to get another crème caramel out of the deal!

Playing around with flavorThis time, I played around with the recipe and followed the suggestion of using coconut milk, and for my own spin added some ginger juice.

Also since I only have skim milk in the house, I used ½ cup of skim milk and ½ cup of whipping cream instead of the 1 cup whole milk recommended for this coconut flan. I also strained the custard before pouring it into the pan to ensure no stray bits of curdled egg found their way into the flan.

Playing around with caramelBased on the comments from Spatulas, Corkscrews, & Suitcases, I doubled the caramel ingredients. You can never have too much caramel to lick off the plate! And next time I’d even triple it.

Also, I thought the addition of lemon juice unusual. I did a bit of hunting, and found that acid in the juice inhibits crystallization of the sugar syrup. Here’s where I found this tidbit.

In more research, I found that to avoid a “pale” crème caramel, the caramel should be cooked to 340°F.

Playing around with presentation

I also tried baking it in one of my rarely-used, but fun Nordic Ware pans to see what would happen. One of my problems was finding a pan large enough to hold my sunflower pan so that I would have the bain-marie effect. My broiling pan worked, but I was worried I didn’t have enough water to come halfway up the sides, but I did (just barely).

The other problem was unmolding. I warmed the bottom of the sunflower pan on a burner on top of my stove and then used a thin knife to get around the edges of the pan, but next time I would try it without the knife since it did some damage to the sides.

Cool tipsI thought the trick of heating the pan before pouring in the caramel was brilliant. That gives you more time to pour the caramel before it hardens. I made sure after doing this that the caramel hardened before adding the custard, though.

Recipe

You can find the recipe at this blog or in the book Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan. To see how the rest of the TWD group fared with this week's recipe, click here and then click on each blogger!

If there isn’t enough caramel oozing out of your crème caramel, you can always make your own and serve it on the side.1 cup sugar1 cup water1 tablespoon butter½ cup heavy cream

Combine the sugar and water. Bring to a boil and cook, without stirring, until the syrup turns a caramel color. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Add the butter. Stir. Add the cream and stir. Serve warm. (Reheat in microwave if desired).Tasting NotesDorie Grenspan’s recipe contains more milk but less eggs, sugar, and vanilla than the original recipe I used, but it didn’t make an impact on the taste. Both flans tasted delicious. However, I didn’t find the coconut (or the ginger juice) flavor was noticeable. Either I need to add more ginger juice or try steeping the coconut milk with fresh ginger instead). Also, I would triple the caramel part of the recipe. You can never have too much caramel. I might also double the flan part of the recipe if I’m going to use a Nordic Ware bundt pan again since it turned out rather thin. However, I won’t have trouble finishing up this flan since it’s one of my favorite desserts.

Sunday, March 23, 2008

Frozen soufflé is not a true soufflé but a frozen mousse. It is a custard mixture usually thickened with gelatin and lightened with egg whites or whipped cream or both. Its presentation looks like a soufflé because the mixture is frozen in a soufflé dish that’s been wrapped with a tall paper collar so that it looks like a soufflé has risen out of the dish like a baked one.

I tasted an amazing frozen soufflé by one of the best chefs in our city, Stephen Vardy from Beckta (however, he’s no longer at this restaurant). It was a passion fruit soufflé and his recipe didn’t include gelatin or egg yolks so it was a bit simpler than the one below: Italian Meringue + passion fruit purée and a touch of lime + whipped cream. He served it in an espresso cup with raspberry gelato. Yum!

Italian MeringueMeringue is simply sweetened egg whites. It’s more stable than meringue made with egg whites and spoonfuls of sugar. It is believed that an Italian baker named Gasparini from the Swiss town of Meiringen created meringue. There is more interesting history in this article.

When making meringue, superfine sugar is recommended since it dissolves faster, but I used regular sugar since I was making a sugar syrup. The heat of the syrup cooks the eggs and allows it to hold its shape much better than an uncooked meringue.

Use room temperature eggs to increase the meringue’s volume. To get stiff egg whites, the bowl must be free from grease and the whites must be free from any yolk. Stiff peaks mean the whites are glossy and very stiff, and the peaks are stiff enough to hold their shape.

Whipped CreamCream with 30%-36% fat can be turned into whipped cream by whisking it with air. Prepare whipped cream just before using since it won't stay whipped for very long. The cream should be cold when whipped to make sure it doesn’t collapse. Don’t overwhip the cream or it will curdle and separate. It should double in volume and form soft peaks.

Prepare the ramekins or soufflé dishes. Cut strips of wax paper or parchment paper about 2½ inches wide. Wrap around the outside of the soufflé dish so that it comes about 1½ inches above the top. Tape in place.

Dissolve the gelatin in 2 tablespoons water until it’s spongy.

Combine ½ cup water and ½ cup sugar in a saucepan. Boil sugar to soft-ball stage (245°F). Heat the orange juice to boiling, cool slightly, and then dissolve the gelatin in it. Whisk the egg yolks with the orange rind and pour in the syrup in a thin stream, whisking continuously until the mixture is pale and creamy. Then, fold in the gelatin dissolved in the orange juice. (I had to leave this to go run an errand and when I came back the gelatin had set so much that I couldn't fold it in. I added a bit of boiling water to soften it again.)

Combine ½ cup water and ½ cup sugar in a saucepan. Boil sugar to soft-ball stage (245°F). Cool slightly. While boiling the sugar, whisk the egg whites until stiff. Then gradually whisk in the syrup to make an Italian Meringue. Whisk until cool (feel the bowl - it should be cool to the touch). The meringue should be firm and glossy and doubled in volume. (The first time I did this, I didn't cool the syrup and poured it in too fast. The egg whites collapsed and I was left with a liquid mess. The next time, I took it slower and it worked just fine.)

Whip the cream until thick, but not stiff. Fold it into the yolk mixture. Fold the meringue into the yolk mixture.

Pour the soufflé mixture into each dish so it comes near the top of the waxed or parchment paper. Level the top with a spatula dipped in water. Chill for several hours or overnight until set.Tasting NotesThis is a light dessert after a heavy meal. It can be served frozen or at room temperature like a mousse. There are lots of opportunities to play around with this recipe with flavorings and ingredients. I think orange is mild, but a dash or two of Grand Marnier would spark this up a bit.. . . . . . . . . .

Saturday, March 22, 2008

Here's another frozen dessert - lime sorbet. Check out the Granité au Calvados blog entry for more info about other frozen desserts.

This one has a bit of egg white so maybe it should be called sherbet since it contains some dairy! According to The Columbia Guide to Standard American English, the word sherbet appeared in English in the seventeenth century and it meant a cold, fruit drink. It had two pronunciations at the time: sherbet and sherbert. However, some purists argue that only sherbet is acceptable now.

But let’s not mess with language, and just taste it. It’s undeniably delicious by any name!Recipe for Lime sorbet

Combine the water, sugar, and vanilla in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and let it boil for 2 minutes to dissolve the sugar. Cool. After sugar syrup has cooled, add lime juice to the sugar syrup mixture.

Transfer to a sorbet or ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer’s directions. After about 15 minutes, add the lightly beaten egg white and zest and continue freezing, about 30 minutes.

Then, transfer the mixture to a container and freeze until firm, about 1 hour.

For the pineapple, use the outer shell as a cup to hold the sorbet. Set in a freezer until serving time. Slice the pineapple into triangle pieces and soak in the rum for about an hour in the refrigerator. (I left mine in the refrigerator for a couple days, and they still tasted great.)

Serve the sorbet in the frozen pineapple shells or lime halves. Garnish with the spiked pineapple.

Tasting NotesThe Lime Sorbet was amazing. Sweet, citrus-y, tangy wrapped in a frozen mouthful. It was especially tasty with the rum-soaked pineapple (even though I forgot to photograph that part of it!).

Friday, March 21, 2008

Granité (grah-nee-tay) and sorbet (sor-bay) are frozen dessert cousins that, unlike ice cream, do not contain any dairy products (such as milk, cream, or eggs). Both can be used as a palate cleanser in between courses or as light desserts.

I remember the first time I was served a frozen treat in-between courses at a restaurant. I thought it was so chic that later in the week I went out and bought some Häagen-Dazs® lemon sorbet for the next time we had dinner guests. Now, I can make it myself and feel even more culinary!

GranitéGranité is the plural form of granita in Italian. It’s a coarse-textured, grainy, crystalline frozen mixture that contains sugar, water, and a flavored liquid. It is traditionally made in a pan in the freezer and stirred with a fork about every 30 minutes.

SorbetSorbet is French for the Italian sorbetto or sorbetti (plural). It’s a smooth, creamy, sweet, fruity frozen mixture that contains sugar, water, and fruit (either juice or puréed). It is made with a sorbet or ice cream maker.

Other Frozen DessertsThere are so many different frozen desserts: granité, sorbet, Italian Ice, sherbet, gelato, glace (pronounced glahs) among others. At first, I found the list of different frozen desserts overwhelming. Inspired by Jessica Hagy at her blog called Indexed, I decided to come up with my own index card graph, albeit a little more boring than hers! Here’s my compilation of several frozen desserts and where they fit on a creamy/icy scale and a fine/coarse scale.

Gelato: Italian for ice cream. Denser flavor because it has less air (10-20%) in it than ice cream. Lower butterfat content (4-14%) than ice cream. Stored at a higher temperature (-13°C).

Glace: French for frozen custard. Rich flavor.

Italian Ice: A smooth, sweet water ice.

There is a ton of information about all these different types on the internet. Click here for one of the best pages I found that discusses all of them. Also, Shirley O. Corriher in Cookwise explains the different frozen desserts and their science very succinctly. Definitely worth a read.

CalvadosAs I learned when making the Charlotte aux pommes, Calvados is an apple brandy from the heart of Normandy in France. Although I didn’t splurge on a bottle for that recipe, I broke down and bought one for these frozen treats! I’m going to have to make a few more Apple Charlottes and apple sorbets to make up for it.

Recipe for Apple GranitéThis is a traditional granité that’s icy and crunchy.

Core and dice the apples; leave the skin on. Toss with the lemon juice and freeze overnight.

Combine the water and sugar in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and let it boil for 2 minutes to dissolve the sugar. Pour the hot syrup over the frozen apples and blend in a blender.

Transfer to a sorbet or ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer’s directions. Then, transfer the mixture to a container and freeze until firm, about 1 hour.

When serving, drizzle some Calvados on top.

Tasting NotesMy freezer is now full of so many apple-flavored frozen treats, I’m not sure what I’m going to do since they don’t keep for very long (a week, if that). I liked each one for different reasons.

• Apple Granité had a very grainy, icy texture that was very similar to a popsicle.• Calvados Sorbet from Gourmet was smooth with a kick from the brandy.• Green Apple Sorbet from Calvados Boulard was sophisticated, sweet, and beautiful.

I also tried making a granité that the kids would like using their favorite juice and leaving out the brandy! I thought they’d like the popsicle angle. Again, they were amazed that I could make something that they could enjoy (since I still haven’t been able to convince them that chicken is delicious!).

I also thought a mix of granité and sorbet in one bowl would be interesting to try and provide some contrasting tastes in each bite: smooth and crunchy. This turned out to be my favorite way to finish up all the frozen treats I’d assembled.

Friday, March 14, 2008

Cigarettes aux amandes are a wafer-thin, crisp, sweet biscuit often served as an accompaniment to ice cream or hot chocolate. They’re sometimes called tuiles (or tiles) because they look like authentic roof tiles found along the French countryside. To me, they look a lot like Pringles! However, this recipe calls for them to be formed into cigarettes, so I’ll try that too.

Krumkake—the Uff Da treatThe recipe for tuiles reminded me of Krumkake (which means crumble cake or cookie, pronounced KROOM-kah-kah), a Norwegian favorite at Christmas time in our family. It’s a flat cookie that’s rolled around a cone-shaped pin or dowel, similar to a waffle cone or a pizzelle (the Italian waffle cookie). It, too, has an almond flavoring.

The batter is put into a Krumkake iron, which resembles a waffle iron. A traditional old world iron is placed over a hot burner on the stovetop, although now you can buy models that are electric. Typically, the iron stamps a pattern onto both sides of this thin golden-brown cookie, which has a crisp texture once it is cooled. Once cooked, you must quickly roll it using a cone roller before it becomes too brittle to roll. Krumkake is often served with whipped cream inside, but ice cream is delicious too.

A few years ago, my mom brought my grandmother’s heavy cast iron Krumkake iron on the plane for me to have. What an honor, and finally, I’ve used it. It’s been well-loved and has the patina of many Krumkake cookies layered on it. Although it’s not electric and doesn’t have a “color select dial” to let me choose from golden to brown, it worked just fine and I felt connected to times past and fond memories of eating this delicious cookie at Christmas. I also realized how easy it is to make and next time will not hesitate to pull it out of the back of the pantry.

Watch a pro make KrumkakeHere is a video of how the Krumkakes are cooked and rolled. These guys make it look easy! However, it's not everyone's favorite thing to make. I found this funny story about someone who had a tough time making Krumkake with her mom.

ShapingFor both Cigarettes aux amandes and Krumkake, shaping them can be the trickiest part of the recipe. You must do it while the cookies are still very warm, or they will dry and become brittle and impossible to bend. You can use a pencil, a dowel, a skewer, a special cone shaped dowel, a bowl, a teacup, or a rolling pin. You can even buy a tuile sheet for shaping them into the traditional curved shape. If you're baking them in the oven, you can make your own template using acetate or stiff plastic (such as the top of a plastic container). You can also pipe patterns using a piping bag or paper cone. Use your imagination.

Ice creamNow that the crunchy bit of the dish is done, it’s time for the creamy ice cream. Ice cream is so simple to make. All you need is an ice cream maker. Thankfully, after all the years of Christmas gifts and appliances I’ve received, I seem to have all the ones I need.

Ice cream is just crème anglaise that’s frozen. That’s it, that’s all. For the Charlotte aux pommes recipe, I learned how to make crème anglaise. This time, I added a real vanilla bean to the vanilla ice cream base and some instant espresso powder to the coffee ice cream base. Threw it in the ice cream maker, and 2 hours later, I had homemade, rich, delicious ice cream

Watch a pro make Crème anglaiseHere's a useful video on making Crème anglaise.

Whisk the sugar, the egg, and the egg whites. Gently fold in the almonds and let rest for about 15 minutes o soften them. Gently stir in the flour and vanilla being careful not to break the almonds. Refrigerate the batter for 2-3 hours.

Spoon a small tablespoon of batter on the baking sheet. Space them about 4 inches apart. Flatten each cookie with the back of a wet fork.

Transfer the baking sheet to the oven and turn the oven down to 350°F. Bake until the cookies are golden, 5-15 minutes. Turn the baking sheet half-way through the cooking time.

With the door of the oven open, lift one cookie off the baking sheet and drape over a rolling pin. Press gently to bend the cookies around the rolling pin. If they cool too much, they will be too brittle to shape. Repeat with the remaining cookies.

These cookies should be served the same day they are made. That’s when they’re the most crispy. If you can’t serve them right away, store them in an airtight tin. Do not store with other cookies or they'll get soft.

Whisk the eggs and the sugar. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Do not over-beat. Heat the iron. Drop about 1-2 tablespoons of batter on the iron. Follow the manufacturer’s directions. Roll on pin immediately.

Like Cigarettes aux amandes, these cookies should be served the same day they are made. That’s when they’re the most crispy. If you can’t serve them right away, store them in an airtight tin. Do not store with other cookies or they'll get soft. A friend of mine makes large batches of Krumkake at Christmas time for friends and family and delivers them in paper boxes tied with a ribbon. They keep well for weeks that way and they make a nice gift!

Put the milk, heavy cream, vanilla extract, and vanilla bean into a heavy-bottomed saucepan (or over a water bath) and bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Remove the vanilla bean pod. Combine the egg yolks and sugar in a heatproof bowl and whisk until thick and pale yellow. The mixture should form a ribbon when the whisk is lifted from the bowl. Gradually whisk in half of the hot milk mixture. (This is called tempering since you don’t want to scramble the eggs. The key is to do this slowly to bring the egg mixture up to temperature without curdling them.) Then whisk in the remaining milk mixture and return the mixture to the saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the custard coats the back of a spoon. Do not boil; it will curdle if boiled. (If it does curdle, either strain or blend in a blender, adding cream if necessary.) Remove the custard from the heat and strain it into a bowl. Transfer to an ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer’s directions. Then, transfer to a container and freeze until firm, about 1 hour.

Put the milk, heavy cream, and vanilla into a heavy-bottomed saucepan (or over a water bath) and bring to a boil. Add the instant espresso powder to dissolve. Remove from heat. Combine the egg yolks and sugar in a heatproof bowl and whisk until thick and pale yellow. The mixture should form a ribbon when the whisk is lifted from the bowl. Gradually whisk in half of the hot milk mixture. (This is called tempering since you don’t want to scramble the eggs. The key is to do this slowly to bring the egg mixture up to temperature without curdling them.) Then whisk in the remaining milk mixture and return the mixture to the saucepan. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the custard coats the back of a spoon. Do not boil; it will curdle if boiled. (If it does curdle, either strain or blend in a blender, adding cream if necessary.) Remove the custard from the heat and strain it into a bowl. Transfer to an ice cream maker and follow the manufacturer’s directions. Then, transfer to a container and freeze until firm, about 1 hour.

Tasting NotesMy kids were amazed that I was able to make vanilla ice cream, asking incredulously, “You made this??” And the coffee ice cream…let’s just say that I’ll never have to buy Coffee Häagen-Dazs® again! The problem was that the recipes only made 6 scoops of each kind! I’d definitely double these recipes next time!

I made both the Cigarettes aux amandes and the Krumkake. I found the Krumkake lighter, more crunchy, and tastier with the ice cream, but I’m part Norwegian! I even added some sliced almonds to the Krumkake batter and tried baking them the way the recipe for Cigarettes aux amandes describes. These turned out good too.

A delicious ice cream treat to enjoy any day of the year, even after the 13 feet of snow we’ve had to shovel this winter in Ottawa.

Quick Survey:What’s your favorite ice cream flavor andhow much snow have you had to shovel this year?

Monday, March 10, 2008

Sabayon, or more commonly known as zabaglioneor zabaione (without the “bag”) is a light, Italian, stirred custard that can be served as a dessert sauce or pudding. It’s actually a distant relative of eggnog or an egg flip and has been called the king of desserts.

On special occasions when I was growing up, we sometimes went to the best Italian restaurant in our city called Casa Italia. Their gnocchi was amazing, but their Zabaglione was why we were there. They would only make it for us if more than one person ordered it. It was a treat and seemed so special. Now, I realize how easy and cheap it is to make. I can even “make it to order” for a bedtime snack any time I want. This somehow takes away some of its charm.

A bit of historyIt has its origins in Piedmont, Italy, which is in close proximity to southern France. According to this link, “in Italy, Zabaione is traditionally served to the newlywed man so he has energy to get through the wedding night!” As if they need any extra help in that department!

It is a very old dessert, dating back to the 1500s and named after Fra’ Pasquale de Baylon of the Third Order of Franciscans. He used to suggest this therapeutic recipe to his followers to solve “spouse frigidity”! In 1680, he was made a patron saint of cooks and his feast day is celebrated every May 17th. The local Torinese dialect abbreviated his name to San Bajon, and the recipe was known as L’Sanbajon. The spelling was later Italianized to Zabaione. Check out this link and this link for even more history.

What’s in itIn its simplest form, Zabaglione consists of three ingredients: egg yolks, sugar, and liquor (traditionally Marsala). Marsala is a sweet, fortified red wine from Sicily with a beautiful amber color. If you don’t want to use Marsala, you can use any of the following for a different taste: bourbon, champagne, frangelico, fruit juice, grappa, rum, sherry, vermouth, or even white wine. Zabaglione can be a base for gelato or semifreddo.

A special copper bowlItalian chefs typically use a special copper zabaglione bowl set over a bain marie to whip up this dessert. Copper is an excellent heat conductor that transmits heat uniformly allowing the food to cook more evenly. Also, the shape of the bowl makes it easier to whisk the eggs which prevents any of the custard from overcooking. You too, can own a special copper pot that you can use just for zabaglione.

In a heavy saucepan (or copper bowl), whisk the egg yolk and sugar together until thick and pale yellow. Set the saucepan over a bain marie, and add the Marsala wine gradually. Whisk over a barely simmering pot of water until the mixture is light and frothy. Whisk constantly to incorporate air and avoid scrambling the eggs. The mixture should double its original volume and thicken. It should not boil. The temperature should be about 180°F, which is not too hot for you to dip a finger into and have a taste. This can take 10-40 minutes depending on how many servings you’re making. It’s done when a ribbon of the mixture stays for about 5 seconds before it disappears.

Garnish with chocolate shavings or mint. Serve warm. If you want to serve it another day, chill in an ice bath or whisk until it is cooled (since it has eggs in it), and put in the refrigerator. When chilled, the mixture gets thicker. Once chilled, you can add some whipped cream or one stiffly beaten egg white to make it more like mousse.

Serving Variations: You can serve Zabaglione with any of the following: fresh figs, fruit, ladyfingers, poached pears, sponge cake, strawberries, or any fruit you like.

Tasting NotesI’ve always liked custard, and this one with the rich taste of the Marsala wine is one of my favorites. It’s silky, light, frothy, winey, rich, and warm on a wintry night. Again, it’s another versatile recipe that you can have fun with. It’s definitely a keeper. And how fun to use egg shells instead of measuring spoons!

Saturday, March 8, 2008

This is another “boozy” fruit recipe, and it can be served as a dessert (as shown in the picture with the Poached Pears) or as an accompaniment with roast meats (such as pork or even rabbit). Now that’s versatility for the lowly prune!

I’m not a prunophobe. In fact, I love the oozy, squishy, squirt of sweetness in every bite. Unlike Weird Al Yankovic’s song, “Won't Eat Prunes Again”, I will eat prunes again. I often have them for a snack, and have been known to sneak them into chocolate cake for my kids!

The prunePrunes, or dried plums as they’ve been marketed in the United States since 2000, are a type of plum grown with the intent to dry. The word prune comes from the old French pronne, which simply means plum. In French, prune means plum and pruneau means prune.

Plums are ripened on the tree, and when they’re ready, farmers use a mechanical shaker to grab the tree’s trunk and shake the fruit onto a catching frame. Then they’re taken to be dehydrated. Three pounds of fresh plums become one pound of prunes.

[Picture published with permission from Tracey Smith, Writer and Broadcaster with Downshifting & Sustainable Living — great ideas for “slowing down your pace, finding a better work/life balance, consequently embracing living with less and leading a simpler, greener and happier life”'. Check it out.]

In France, plums are grown in the Lot et Garonne department in the Aquitaine region in the South-West. In this region, you can follow the one-hundred-kilometre “Prune Route” and even visit a Gourmet Prune Museum. A good time to visit would be September, during the harvest. (I found this wonderful article about “The Way of the Prune” that talks fondly of such a trip to this region.)

map from Wikipedia

In the United States, most of the prunes are grown in California. There’s a funny story that in 1905 in the Santa Clara Valley, one farmer brought 500 monkeys from Panama to help with the harvesting of plums. Although the monkeys made light work of getting the plums off the trees, they also ate them up as fast as they could too.

Pruneaux à l'ArmagnacThe pruneau d'Agen is the queen of all prunes. Agen is a town in this region that is known as the capital of the prune. The Ente plums from this region are the only variety that can be used to make prunes entitled to the "Agen" designation.

Prunes soaked in Armagnac, a brandy of this region, are an after-dinner delight often given as hostess gifts and traditionally served with foie gras. A tin of Pruneaux à l'Armagnac has been called the “most expensive prunes in the world” according to this link. I'd love to taste a prune from this tin someday. A company in France called Comtesse du Barry will ship their products internationally, including the “Stuffed Agen Prunes” (which are "stuffed with a creamed filling of prunes, apples, sugar, vanilla and Armagnac, and delicately glazed"). So, for 18.50 euros plus 45 euros for shipping , I could have an authentic 450 gram tin of Pruneaux à l'Armagnac for $96.86 Canadian in my mailbox 20 days later. That’s pretty cool.

Or, I could find a great recipe for Pruneaux à l'Armagnac and save the authentic tin for a holiday to France, which might be worth a trip in itself. During my research, I found such a recipe at Chez Pim, another great food blogger. I'll have to give it a try someday.

The wineFor Pruneaux au vin blanc, the prunes are poached in wine. If you’ve read the blog entry about Poires au vin rouge, you’ll see that I poached the prunes in a wine from the Burgundy region of France. I used both a white and a red wine, but the color doesn’t change in the prunes as it did for the pears.